Manolo Blahnik

“I like to have a personal relationship with my shoes.”

“I love extremes. I don't like the middle. I like the people who are in the circus. I like the people who are in the street.”

“I'm not a businessman. I'm a craftsman.”

“You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal.”

“My shoes are not fashion. They are classics.”

“You can never be too rich or too thin. Or too well-shod.”

“I am not an artist. I am a shoe-maker.”

“Men tell me that I've saved their marriages. It costs them a fortune in shoes, but it's cheaper than a divorce. So I'm still useful, you see.”

“About half my designs are controlled fantasies, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs.”

“I wanted to make shoes that were sexy and had a certain elegance.”

“Shoes are the quickest way for women to achieve instant metamorphosis.”

“I don't like trends. They tend to make everybody look the same.”

“Elegance is a state of mind, not a question of money.”

“I always have a martini.”

“I hate the whole concept of the clog! It's fake, it's ugly, and it's not even comfortable!”

“A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes.”

“I'm a perfectionist. I'm never satisfied.”